Australian Dance Theatre returns to Carriageworks next month with the Sydney premiere of Two Blood, a bold and evocative new work created by three leading Australian artists in contemporary performance, presented August 13-15.
Presented in association with Kurinji and led by visionary artists S.Shakthidharan (Counting and Cracking) and Jasmin Sheppard (Preparing Ground) alongside ADT artistic director Daniel Riley, Two Blood is a sprawling exploration of our national identity that blends explosive physicality with story and ceremony, with music from SAtheCollective and Jaadwa composer James Howard.
"Working on Two Blood has been an incredible privilege," Riley said.
"I'm so proud of the company and all artists involved for continuing to be courageous and make brave new work, that brings onto our stage complex, real and urgent stories.
"Having Jasmin and Shakthi's artistry in the room is pushing the dancers to dig deep to discover and flex new storytelling muscles.
"Exploring the deep connections between Chinese migrants and First Nations people in our current moment feels vital, as we all continue to navigate how to articulate our identity as individuals, but also within our communities."
Two Blood centres on the discovery of two bodies in a forever embrace: a Tagalaka woman and a Chinese man. As their remains are unearthed, so is a story of belonging that spans generations, crosses borders, and bends time to revel in the multiplicity that has shaped our nation.
The work, which takes the show 宿 (stay) as its starting point, sees Sheppard weave stories from her own personal history into the narrative.
"In a lot of ways Two Blood blows 宿 (stay) apart, using the incredible ability of the ADT dancers to shape something new from the core of that original work," she said.
"It feels incredibly important to speak about the fragile yet enduring connections that exist between all of us, First Peoples and everyone who came to these shores."
Text from award-winning writer and director S. Shakthidharan sits alongside Riley and Sheppard's movement, which has been created in collaboration with the Company Artists of ADT.
"There are connections between migrants and First Nations people that are carved into the land which we all walk," said Shakthidharan.
"Each dancer has brought so much of their own history, culture and story to the process-...it's been a real privilege to play with that throughout the making of this show, and to see how deeply it has enriched the work."
Two Blood will feature costume design from Zachary Lopez, who will also be performing in the work and production design from Matthew Adey of House of Vnholy.
The National Foundation for Australia-China Relations has supported the creative development and presentation of the work, as well as a suite of bilingual education resources that will empower a broad range of young people to engage with the work more deeply.
Two Blood forms part of Carriageworks' Bay 20 program, showcasing outstanding works from leading Australian artists and companies across theatre, dance, opera, live music, and family works.
Australian Dance Theatre is Australia's oldest continuing contemporary dance company.
Two Blood is presented by Australian Dance Theatre at Carriageworks from 13-15 August 2026. Tickets are on sale now for a strictly limited season.
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